AI: What the next Government must do

FORWIT and the AI Advisory Board recommend concrete measures to create the necessary framework conditions for the optimal development and utilisation of AI technologies.

 

In view of the increasing speed and dynamism with which new artificial intelligence technologies are developing and penetrating all areas of life, the Austrian Council for Sciences, Innovation, and Technology (FORWIT) and the Advisory Board for Artificial Intelligence are jointly making urgent recommendations to the next federal government.

The national implementation of the AI Act must be standardised and targeted across Europe—i.e. without excessive restrictions.
Thomas Henzinger, FORWIT

Although the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act, which came into force in August, regulates the legal and regulatory framework, how the individual member states implement it is decided at national level—and this could lead to very different regulations. ‘We consider it extremely important for Europe as a centre of research and business that national implementation is carried out in a uniform and targeted manner across Europe—i.e. without excessive restrictions,’ appeals Thomas Henzinger, Chairman of FORWIT.

‘It will be the urgent task of the next federal government to create the framework conditions in this country that are necessary for the optimal development and utilisation of AI technologies—also in a European context,’ explains Horst Bischof, Chairman of the Advisory Board for Artificial Intelligence.

Measures to strengthen Austria’s capabilities and international position

The two bodies set out how these framework conditions can be shaped in the joint recommendation. In their view, there are seven specific measures that are necessary to equip Austria for the challenges and maximise the benefits within the European network:

  1. Revise the current AI strategy, taking into account new technological developments, and draw up a concrete implementation plan
  2. Creation of a separate State Secretariat for Digitalisation with sufficient capacities
  3. Establishment of an independent national competence centre for artificial intelligence
  4. Implementation of the Austrian data strategy using the latest technologies and solutions such as cryptography and differential privacy
  5. Participation in all European AI initiatives and positioning Austria as a key player
  6. Creating an attractive environment that motivates globally active AI companies to establish research and development hubs in Austria.
  7. Strengthening social trust in new technologies and addressing opportunities and risks in a balanced manner

Making Austria an AI-competent nation

We must treat the major opportunities on an equal footing with the risks.
Horst Bischof, AI Advisory Board

According to Henzinger, the fact that Europe and Austria have little presence in the development and design of AI and that none of the leading companies come from Europe is an alarm signal. ‘If we want to change this and make Austria and Europe an attractive, competent and future-proof AI location, we need to act quickly now and create the conditions for this.’

For Bischof, this also includes treating the immense opportunities of AI on an equal footing with the risks. ‘This is essential, not least in terms of social trust in these technologies. This requires technical understanding among the population as well as the expertise to use them.’